Never Give Up

          Dorian was walking across the river, it was deep and swifter than he had expected. It was difficult crossing but not as difficult as his life had been these past few hours. His mind had wandered to his one true love, he had to get back to her. His life had taken him far away, down a strange path. He’ll never forget the day that he woke up and found himself being looked upon by those strange beings. He didn’t know where he was or how he got there.

          When Dorian woke up he asked questions like “where am I?” and “how did I get here?” These strange beings did not answer but somehow it was in his head, he knew what they thought. He was there for a clear purpose. Images flooded his mind of strong Well-To-Do men. The men were evil. They had to be stopped. Dorian didn’t know what to do but he knew he must do something. The next set of images came, they were of other strange beings. These beings were bad, they were going to try and stop him. With all of these thoughts whirling in his mind, one thing became clear. Dorian knew he had to get back to his family to protect them.

          The next thing Dorian knew, he was looking in the mirror at a different person. He knew it was him but the image that he saw was clearly not his image. What had happened to him? Did those strange beings change his appearance? Where was he? How did he get there? Why is he there? So many questions were running through Dorian’s mind and he did not have one answer. He knew the first thing he had to do was find out where he was. So he turned and walked out of the room.

          To Dorian’s surprise he realized he was at his friend Markus’s house. Markus was the one person in this whole work that Dorian knew he could trust. But where was he? All of a sudden, Dorian heard a familiar voice and soon came to realize that it was Markus’s voice. Dorian decided since his image has changed he may not want to approach Markus so he eavesdropped on the conversation instead. The first thing he heard Markus say was “I don’t know who this is in my house or where he came from”. The strange voice replied “This man is your enemy, he must die or he will harm you”. Hearing this, Dorian began to panic and decided that since his home was only across the river he should leave at this very moment and not count on his dear friends help.

          Half way across the river, a plan began to come to Dorian. He knew that since his looks had changed his wife would not know who he was. There must be a way that he could prove who he was to her since his image could not. Suddenly Dorian was pulled under water with such force that he could not break free. Under water, Dorian struggled to gain composure. Holding his breath, he slowly opened his eyes and almost inhaled with panic when he realized one of the beings from his abduction was wrapped around his leg drawing him downward. The evil green being smiled widely up at him. Just when Dorian thought his time came to an end a bright light shined from up above. A red being sliced through the water, severing the arms of the green being and quickly his smile disappeared. Dorian swam upward with all the strength that he had left. As Dorian emerged violently through the surface of the water, he inhaled deeper than he ever has before and thanked the red being that he was alive. Dorian slowly crawled from the water onto the dry land. Dorian then lost consciousness.

          Gabriella sat at home wondering what had become of Dorian. Three days ago he left to go get eggs from the store and he never returned. Gabriella filed a missing persons report earlier this morning. The police had put out an all-points- bulletin. The local news station had picked up the story and plastered Dorian’s face all over the place. Since that time, many strong Well-To-Do men had come to Gabriella with the intention of replacing her Dorian. This had become so tedious for her that Gabriella announced on the news to all of them. Her speech stated that if they wished to replace Dorian they would have to show that they were the most selfless man.  They must all come to her home today at 8pm.

          When Dorian gained consciousness he was lying on a dirty, little couch in a room that smelled of moth-balls. A television blared with the voice of his wife. As he began to make out the words, he realized she was trying to replace him. Dorian quickly got up to see what time it was. The clock read 7:00pm. But where the hell was he and how far from home was he? Dorian turned around because he heard a shrill cackle and a little old lady coughed and hacked as she laughed at the befuddled look on his face. Right before his eyes she transformed into a red being and thoughts entered his mind that he was only forty five minutes from home. Dorian knew exactly where he was and left immediately.

          As Dorian approached his home, he realized that not only did he not look the same, but he also was not one of the strong Well-To-Do men. How would he gain access to this event? Dorian sneaks behind a Well-To-Do man, knocks him out, and then steals his ID. Once inside, he notices that all of the men who were images put in his mind by the beings were here. This was Dorian’s chance to not only win back his love but also eliminate the strong Well-To-Do men.

          The first man steps up to Gabriella and states “I have just given all of my wealth to the orphans in Africa to prove how selfless I can be to win you over”. Gabriella laughs and shouts “NEXT!” The next man steps up and says “I bought a zoo and will let everyone in for free to prove how selfless I can be”. Gabriella laughs out the word “next”. The third man, looking very intimidating, approaches Gabriella carrying a large rifle. He says “I will use my rifle to hunt down rabbits and chickens and feed everyone in the world.” Gabriella laughs so hysterically that she begins to cry. This man is so embarrassed and humiliated that he becomes very angry. He lifts his rifle and points it at her. As he pulls the trigger, Gabriella realizes that she will die. A split second before the bullet gets to her, a man dives in front of her, taking the bullet square in the chest. He falls to the ground, Gabriella goes down to him and says “that was the most selfless thing I have ever seen”. You are the only one I can truly love”. As the last word escapes her lips, and the last breathe escapes his, his image changes back to that of her husband, Dorian. Out of nowhere, a red being appears and a brilliant light is cast upon Dorian’s dead body. Moments later, his body arches and with a great inhale of air, Dorian is alive again. Each of the strong Well-To-Do men break down and cry. These men realize the evil they have done and change their ways. The red being recognizes this and tells Dorian “your task is complete”.